- Muslim women break taboos navigating east London's waterways
- Nepal dam-building spree powers electric vehicle boom
- More than 60 dead from storm Helene as rescue, cleanup efforts grow
- Dozens missing, 9 dead in migrant boat wreck off Spanish Canaries
- Death toll from Hurricane John hits eight in Mexico
- Storm Helene's toll rises as rescue and cleanup efforts gain pace
- SpaceX launches mission to return stranded astronauts
- Storm Helene kills 44, threatens more 'catastrophic' flooding as cleanup begins
- SpaceX set to launch mission to return stranded astronauts
- Storm Helene kills 44, threatens more 'catastrophic' flooding
- Boeing strike grinds on as latest talks fail to reach agreement
- Iran 'news' sites, hackers target Trump ahead of US election
- US ports brace for potential dockworkers strike
- Japan's speedy, spotless Shinkansen bullet trains turn 60
- US hurricane deaths rise to 44, fears of more 'catastrophic' flooding
- Global stocks mostly rise, cheering Beijing stimulus
- Europe en route for Moon with new simulator, says astronaut Pesquet
- Fireworks forecast if comet survives risky Sun flypast
- Argentina judge orders dictionary to delete pejorative definition of 'Jewish'
- Global stocks rise on rate hopes, Beijing stimulus
- S.African woman turns 118, among the oldest in the world
- UK clears $4 bn AI partnership between Amazon, Anthropic
- Barca fans barred from Champions League away game over racist banner
- Chinese stocks extend surge, Europe higher on Beijing stimulus
- Pope says Church must 'seek forgiveness' for child sexual abuse
- China caps week of 'bazooka' stimulus for ailing economy with rate cut
- Cuts, cash, credit: China bids to jumpstart flagging economy
- France's debt weighs heavier ahead of budget debate
- Iran treads carefully, backing Hezbollah while avoiding war
- Return to sender: waste stranded at sea stirs toxic dispute
- 'Broken' news industry faces uncertain future
- On remote Greek island, migratory birds offer climate clues
- Taken from mother by nuns, victim seeks answers as pope visits Belgium
- China cuts amount banks hold in reserve to boost lending
- Hong Kong, Shanghai extend surge as China optimism boosts markets
- Vietnam president reiterates support for Cuba during official visit
- Drought reduces Amazon River in Colombia by as much as 90%: report
- Stay or go? Pacific Islanders face climate's grim choice
- Florida bracing for 'unsurvivable' Hurricane Helene
- Poverty rises to over 52 percent in Milei's Argentina
- Chloe's see-through look may not be for Kamala Harris
- Champagne houses abuzz over English sparkling wine
- Macron, Trudeau pledge to work for 'decarbonized' economies
- Hurricanes, storms, typhoons... Is September wetter than usual?
- China stimulus, tech optimism boost stock markets
- 'Unsurvivable' Hurricane Helene races towards Florida
- Macron meets Trudeau in Canada as both face political setbacks
- South Korea surges in UN innovation index
- Chloe's see-through look may not be for Kamala
- Floods threaten Niger's historic 'gateway to the desert'
Oil prices soar on Saudi, Russian supply fears
Oil prices soared Monday as a weekend attack on Saudi facilities and EU discussions on banning Russian crude raised concerns over global supplies.
Top producer Saudi Arabia warned that Yemeni rebel attacks on the kingdom's oil facilities pose a "direct threat" to global supplies, the comments helping Brent North Sea crude surge 6.1 percent to $114.55 per barrel with WTI rising 5.5 percent to $110.48.
Stock markets traded generally flat, as Ukraine rejected a Russian ultimatum to surrender its besieged southern city of Mariupol.
"Oil prices are up noticeably as the new week of trading begins," noted Commerzbank analyst Carsten Fritsch even prior to the Saudi comments.
"The reason for the upswing is news that the EU appears to be considering a ban on oil imports from Russia."
EU foreign ministers gathered to discuss adding sanctions on Moscow, with a raft of countries pressing for a ban on Russian energy. Germany, however, is reluctant given its huge reliance on Russian gas.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov warned that an oil embargo "is a decision that will hit everyone".
- Drone strike -
Crude futures jumped also after Yemeni rebels attacked facilities belonging to oil giant Saudi Aramco.
"As war rages in Ukraine, another protracted conflict is also adding to the nervousness around the oil price after Huthi rebels attacked a refinery in Saudi Arabia," said Susannah Streeter, senior investment and markets analyst at Hargreaves Lansdown.
"It's officially a temporary outage but still has undermined the effect of Saudi Aramco's pledge to ramp up production in coming years."
Drone and missile strikes by Yemen's Iran-backed Huthi rebels at the weekend caused no reported casualties.
The drone assault on the YASREF refinery in Yanbu Industrial City on the Red Sea "led to a temporary reduction in the refinery's production, which will be compensated for from the inventory," the Saudi energy ministry said.
The Saudi-led military coalition that backs Yemen's government said it intercepted and destroyed ballistic missiles and drones launched towards Jizan and other areas in the kingdom, causing "damage" to several sites.
The Saudi foreign ministry said the kingdom "will not incur any responsibility" for shortages in oil supplies in light of the Huthi attacks.
These cross-border assaults are a "direct threat to the security of oil supplies in these extremely sensitive circumstances witnessed by the global energy markets", it added.
Saudi Aramco on Sunday reported a 124-percent surge in annual net profit owing to soaring oil prices that is fuelling inflation worldwide, in turn pushing central banks to raise interest rates that could hinder the economy's growth recovery according to experts.
Traders were cautious as they drank in the latest events affecting markets.
European and Asian stock markets were steadier after recent sharp swings, "not because views on geopolitical or policy/rates risk have improved but because price action shows a market more tolerant of those challenges", said Stephen Innes of SPI Asset Management.
Wall Street was in the red in early deals.
- Key figures around 1400 GMT -
Brent North Sea crude: UP 6.1 percent at $114.55 per barrel
West Texas Intermediate: UP 5.5 percent at $110.48 per barrel
New York - DOW: DOWN 0.2 percent at 34,686.71
London - FTSE 100: UP 0.7 percent at 7,454.43 points
Frankfurt - DAX: FLAT at 14,417.36
Paris - CAC 40: FLAT at 6,611.78
EURO STOXX 50: FLAT at 3,901.62
Hong Kong - Hang Seng Index: DOWN 0.9 percent at 21,221.34 (close)
Shanghai - Composite: UP 0.1 percent at 3,253.69 (close)
Tokyo - Nikkei 225: Closed for a holiday
Euro/dollar: DOWN at $1.1038 from $1.1051 Friday
Pound/dollar: UP at $1.3183 from $1.3181
Euro/pound: DOWN at 83.74 pence from 83.81 pence
Dollar/yen: UP at 119.16 yen from 119.13 yen
burs-bcp-cdw/lth
C.Peyronnet--CPN